Page 107
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
of them is temporarily absent from the Colony and Dick Lee only arrived back a few hours ago after a tiring trip but the sentiments expressed at this meeting will be conveyed to them.
It is probably difficult for those who are not directly connected with the Council to appreciate the amount of hard, slogging work which takes place in the Select Committees. The monthly public meetings catch the public eye, but it is the Select Committees in which the bulk of decisions are taken and these decisions necessitate most careful consideration and lengthy discussion. Most of them start before and last well into office hours and can seriously interfere with the normal occupations of members. No one is more aware than I of the self-sacrifice of members in voluntarily surrendering their valuable time to the cause of good Government, and this is a further instance of the fine spirit that has created Hong Kong.
May I then express my personal thanks to those who are leaving us. They will go with our sincerest wishes and their record of service will be an inspiration to their successors.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Sitting opposite each other at this table perhaps gives some impression of opposition, and there are on various points, of course, differences between the Appointed and Elected Members, for instance we do not approve of the present balance, we think there should be considerably more Elected than Appointed seats which is not the case at the moment, we do have our doubts as to the advisability of Appointed Members on two Councils at the same time. But on the other hand no one can possibly doubt the value of the contributions that the Appointed Members have made during the past few years to this Council. Mr. Fung in particular, who is the member here today, shall I say representing the three that are retiring, I think is the only member present who was here at the time when I first joined the Council, and I will always recall the value of his advice and, if I may say so, his encouragement in those early days when I was on this Council; a Council which in those days was a somewhat different creature from what it is today. The companionship which arises from co-operating even when we are disagreeing, in the administration of a great city such as Hong Kong—and I include, of course, Kowloon—is something that can only be understood if it is experienced. And we Reform Club members today will be very sorry to lose these companions of ours. May I go on to say that we will welcome and I am sure, be able to get on very well with I would like to those three gentlemen who will be replacing them. associate ourselves with the words that you have already spoken.
MR. LI YIU BOR:-March is usually the time for us to say goodbye to the retiring members, but this March we are particularly sorry to have to say goodbye to three of our most important members, Mr. Fung, Mr. Lee and Mr. U Tat Chee. Their retirement from the
Page 198
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
199
Council is a great loss to this Council, but we are sure it will be a gain to other organizations. They will benefit by their experience. On behalf of Dr. Woo and Mr. Wong, may I wish Mr. Fung, Mr. Lee and Mr. U every success in other fields of activity.
MR. FUNG PING FAN:-Mr. Chairman, it is with mixed feelings that I rise to return thanks to you on behalf of my colleagues the Honourable R. C. Lee and Mr. U Tat Chee and myself for your generous references to the parts we have played as members of this Council. I am sure my colleagues must be as grateful as I am for your kind remarks.
Speaking for myself, I can say that I have much enjoyed working with you all during the nine years that I have been a member of this Council, since I was first appointed on the 12th February, 1951. During almost a decade as a member I have seen many changes made, all for the better, and have witnessed an enlargement of this Council, and while at times we might not have been able to see eye to eye with one another, we have always been imbued with an earnest desire to serve the public whom we have the honour and privilege to represent.
I also want to thank our friends of the two elected groups of members—the Reform Club and the Civic Association—for their kind concurrence with the remarks that have been made from the Chair, and would like to assure them that although sometimes we might have differed, we respect them for their determination to play their part and to contribute to the deliberations of this Council. They are all public-spirited citizens who sacrifice their time and leisure to serve the community, and for this we should salute them.
Before I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to the staffs of the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department, from our popular Chairman down to the junior assistants, for their ever helpful co-operation and advice so readily available to members which are deeply appreciated.
In bidding my colleagues farewell at this the last monthly meeting of the Council my retiring colleagues and I want to wish you continued success in all your worthy endeavours. Although we shall no longer share with you the burden you will shoulder, we will watch your efforts with keen and undiminished interest.
Mr. Chairman, Lady and Gentlemen—thank you all very much.
ADJOURNMENT.
CHAIRMAN:-That concludes the business for this meeting and Council stands adjourned to Tuesday, 5th April.
Page 199